1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems, processes and products for the storage and retrieval of documentary information, including: physical paper documents; corresponding electro-optically generated electronic documents, e.g. digital images produced by scanning or photography; and computer generated electronic documents, e.g. digital text produced by word processing and/or digital graphics produced by computer aided design.
2. The Prior Art
Numerous systems and processes have been proposed for the storage and retrieval of documentary information. Traditional practices over the centuries, of course, have involved storage and retrieval by manually accessing indexed arrangements of original papers and xe2x80x9chard copiesxe2x80x9d in folders, boxes, shelving and cabinets. Later practices have involved photographically reducing the original papers to produce indexed miniaturizations in microfilm spools or microfiche sheets, storing the spools or sheets in indexed containers, folders or other physical repositories, and retrieving images or hard copies of the miniaturizations by optical projection or photographic reproduction.
Now there are a proliferation of proposals for digital computer systems that opto-electronically scan original papers to create electronic representations in computer memory, to store digital records of these representations in magnetic and/or optical media, and to retrieve images or hard copies corresponding to these records electro-magnetically or electro-optically. It is common experience that effective paper filing systems have required unerring care by trustworthy persons who have some understanding of the business or other activity involved. Considerable reliance has been placed on the memory of such persons, who have a tendency to become xe2x80x9cindispensablexe2x80x9d in mission critical situations. Moreover, even a generally effective system often is not conducive to physical and logical arrangements capable of implementing prompt storage and retrieval without constant inquiries to and guidance by professional level personnel. Finally, of course, a paper file is available to only one person at a time unless hard copies are made, in which case undesired paper proliferation occurs.
Although a few, but not all, of these problems are alleviated by the use of microfilm and microfiche, new and different problems arise. It is true that a large number of photographic miniaturizations can be stored in a much smaller space than an equivalent number of original papers. However, problems of storing and retrieving containers and folders of microfilm and microfiche are not unlike problems of storing and retrieving batches of their paper counterparts. More important, producing, imaging and retrieving photographic miniaturizations often are costly procedures requiring unwieldy hardware. As a practical matter, microfilm and microfiche are limited to archival-type documentation that may not be compatible with a dynamic work environment.
Recent advances in low cost computer architecture, particularly, faster clock speeds, higher resolution displays, and denser storage media, have generated discussions of whether or not a xe2x80x9cpaperless officexe2x80x9d is possible, and, indeed, what is the meaning of xe2x80x9cpaperless office.xe2x80x9d The difficulties mentioned above in connection with the storage and retrieval of paper documents, in a work environment, make it clear that minimization of the use of paper must be a preeminent commercial and technological objective. A critical advantage of electronic files over paper and microfilm/microfiche files is that electronic files can be readily sorted, retrieved and reorganized.
It is apparent that electronic files are capable of obviating tedious manipulation of original paper files when there may be no further need ever to refer to them. Nevertheless, despite the rapid growth of electronic filing, paper documents continue to proliferate. One possible reason for this phenomenon is a natural reluctance on the part of many to discard original paper files even after they have been imaged and stored in electronic media. For many, it simply will be difficult to overcome a habitual predilection to keep paper documents, and to accept the idea that electronic media, in many cases, is a secure and relatively versatile substitute.
Furthermore, in many cases, reference to papers or other original physical documents, even if infrequent, may be essential. For example, original physical documents may be required or desired: (1) in litigation where rules of evidence pertain; (2) as backup in the event that lost or faulty images are discovered later; (3) in major commercial, financial and insurance dealings where physical signatures may be important or merely may be perceived to be important; (4) in internet transactions where the parties do not meet legal requirements for dispensing with paper records; (5) as backup for technical graphics, precision photographs, medical diagnostics, and the like, where differences in resolution between images and originals may become significant; (6) as backup in the event of corruption of electronic files; and (7) as complete copies of voluminous treatises in which only the table of contents and/or other selected portions have been imaged.
Modern society demands knowledge work that is appropriate for the information age. The requirements are that: relatively low paying manual work, like filing paper documents, must be phased out, and relatively high paying knowledge work, like processing electronic documents, must be phased in. The fact is that total elimination of paper documents may be unachievable or undesirable. Rather, the present invention is based on the insight that there is an essential interaction between minimizing the inherent inefficiency of paper documents, and maximizing the inherent efficiency of electronic documents.
Much confusion has been encountered in the implementation of systems that are based on: (1) imaged electronic documents of the type that is created by scanning or photographing paper documents and the like, (2) original paper documents themselves, and (3) computer generated electronic documents of the type that are created by word processors and the like. The following are some of the conflicts involved: whether to store bit maps based on simple scanning, or text resulting from optical character recognition, or both; whether to mix optically generated electronic documents and computer generated electronic documents; whether or not the storage of optically generated electronic image files should mirror the storage of the original paper documents; whether or not an original paper filing system should be retained without change; whether or not a system is so sophisticated that computer literate professional level operators and/or supervisors are required; and whether or not a system is so rudimentary that even entry level operators may be sufficiently trustworthy.
The foregoing problems are greatly magnified in networked systems, where difficulties may be encountered particularly in standardizing, at disparate locations, the storage and retrieval of original physical paper documents, and, possibly, hard paper copies of electro-optically generated and computer generated documents. There is a requirement for systems in which the physical filing of paper documents is radically simplified, in which access to infrequently needed paper documents is precisely indicated, and in which optically generated electronic documents and computer generated electronic documents are clearly differentiated.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide, for the storage and retrieval of original physical paper documents, electro-optically generated electronic documents, and computer generated electronic documents: systems, processes and products, which facilitate the use of electronic documents rather than paper documents whenever feasible or acceptable, and which facilitate the use of paper documents rather than electronic documents whenever necessary or preferred. The result is less physical and emotional frustration, and more creative use of time.
Pursuant to the present invention, at each location in an enterprise comprising a network or group of networks: (1) newly received or generated electronic documents are simply entered at random in a sequence of date/time instances by computer generation and/or by electro-optical processing of physical paper documents; (2) the records of electronic documents reference the date/time instances that constitute unique identifiers; (3) each of the paper documents is added to the beginning or end of a cumulative stack in which its location is indicated by its date/time instance; and (4) the electronic documents are processed and organized to provide the electronic equivalent of virtual files that include related paper and electronic documents.
In one preferred embodiment, a physical system includes a primary physical repository and a plurality of secondary physical repositories therein, which hold selected sequences of paper documents corresponding to selected ranges of the date/time instances. The selected ranges of the sequences of paper documents are contained by selected ones of the secondary physical repositories. The selected ones of the secondary physical repositories are visually marked with physical indicia corresponding to the selected ranges of the date/time instances. The electronic system presents an electronic table representing a grid containing rows of electronic records and columns of electronic fields, the electronic fields including a plurality of primary electronic fields and a plurality of secondary electronic fields. One of the primary field includes date/time entries that designate corresponding logical groups of paper documents and corresponding logical groups of electronic documents. The secondary fields include other entries that designate corresponding logical groups of the paper documents and electronic groups of the electronic documents.
The result is an interactive combination of electronic records, which specify the precise physical locations of selected paper documents in terms of their date/time instances. Selected date/time instances designate selected logical groups of the paper documents and selected logical groups of electronic images. The selected logical groups of the paper documents are virtual collections that are intermingled throughout the secondary repositories so as to be unadapted for immediate physical compilation. The selected logical groups of electronic images are immediately available for presentation.